TribeFest a hit with Cleveland Indians fans (with videos)

Carson Byrne, 8, of Hinkley gets his Indians' jersey signed by former Indians' center fielder Kenny Lofton Saturday at the second annual TribeFest at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

The snow was falling and the roads were treacherous Saturday morning when Cleveland Indians first baseman Nick Swisher began his drive to Progressive Field.
Swisher was a marquee attraction at TribeFest, the fan-focused event that began Friday and ends Sunday.
“I was in the car and thinking to myself, ‘No one is going to show up in this weather.’ But, man, this place is packed.”
Indeed, Tribe fans by the thousands braved the elements to take part in a slate of activities that included autograph signings, clubhouse tours, youth clinics and on-stage appearances by Tribe players past and present.
Tim and Debbie Parr were all smiles as they toured the Tribe clubhouse shortly after the 10 a.m. opening of the first of two Saturday sessions.
Despite living in Chardon, the snow capitol of Northeast Ohio, the Parrs didn’t think twice about making the trek to downtown Cleveland.
“It probably took us 45 minutes to get here. It wasn’t too bad. We took my four-wheel drive,” Tim Parr said.
As soon as they entered the clubhouse, the Parrs came face-to-face with Kenny Lofton, the speedy outfielder and leadoff batter who was a mainstay on Tribe playoff teams in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“He was a great player on some great teams,” Tim Parr said.
The Parrs, attending their first TribeFest, both paid the $10 general admission fee. They did not hesitate to part with an additional $20 apiece for a separate ticket that guaranteed at least one autograph from Tribe alumni Omar Vizquel, Lofton, Jim Thome and Charlie Nagy.
“This is a great opportunity to meet these players. It’s exciting,” said Debbie Parr, who makes no secret of how strongly she feels about Vizquel, the Gold Glove-winning shortstop.
“I loved Omar and loved watching him play,” she said.
Scott Massa of Avon and his son, Dom, weren’t going to let a heavy dose of winter keep them away Saturday after having a great time at last year’s inaugural TribeFest.
“You get to go places (Saturday) you could never go when you’re at games as a fan,” Scott Massa said, looking around the home clubhouse.
Craig Gutridge of Broadview Heights stood in the middle of the Tribe clubhouse holding his 3-year-old-son, Kyle, in his right arm. Standing next to them was Craig’s father, Carl Gutridge of Zanesville.
“Three generations of Gutridges at the ballpark. That means a lot to us,” Craig Gutridge said.
The father-son motif repeated itself in the clubhouse as Larry Balaga of Parma and his 8-year-old son, Lucas, looked at the nameplates on the lockers.
“This is a unique opportunity to get close to the players,” Larry Balaga said.
Swisher was joined Saturday by a line-up of teammates that included Trevor Bauer, Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Lonnie Chisenhall, Yan Gomes, Jason Kipnis, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister, David Murphy and Danny Salazar.
Tribe manager Terry Francona, who led the Indians to a 92-70 finish and a wild-card playoff berth in his first season, received plenty of attention from fans.
So did hot-shot prospects Tyler Naquin and Clint Frazier, the team’s first-round draft choices in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Some of the loudest cheers of the day were for Lofton, Thome and Nagy as they made on-stage appearances with Tribe radio play-by-play man Tom Hamilton.
A statue of Thome, fabricated by Lakewood sculptor Dan Deming, will be unveiled on Aug. 2 at Progressive Field. Thome slugged 337 of his 612 career home runs while playing in for the Indians.
“It’s humbling. I don’t think you can express what that means,” Thome said of getting his own statue.
Thome drew especially enthusiastic applause when, in response to a question from a fan, said he’ll go into the Hall of Fame as an Indian if and when he gets the call from Cooperstown.
“This is my home. This is where it all started for me,” Thome said.
Later, in a separate interviews with reporters, Thome showered praise on the fans responsible for the 455-game home sellout streak that stretched from June 1995 to April 2001.
“Those fans meant so much to us,” Thome said. “I don’t know if they knew how important they were. It’s up to us to let them know.”
TribeFest concludes Sunday, beginning at noon and ending at 6 p.m.

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David has been a full-time writer with The News-Herald since 1984. He write about news, sports and entertainment, He served as president of the Television Critics Association from 1993-95. Reach the author at dglasier@News-Herald.com
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